"I didn't Believe it!" ~ Linda K. Milam

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.                           John 6:40 KJV

    A couple of summers ago, we were in Columbia SC staying in a Comfort Inn. It was early in the morning, and we were up preparing for our day, when the fire alarm went off, on the phone and in the hall.  At first, we couldn't figure out what was going on, but I stuck my head out our door and saw people vacating their rooms carrying all of their important items; we realized we needed to get ourselves together and get out. This was a fire alarm. 

NO elevators they said, so we trudged down the stairs with our Bibles, luggage we could grab quickly and my laptop and said to each other it was probably a false alarm, but we didn't want to take a chance.  As we exited the building we could see that during the night, many guests had arrived, as the parking lot was full.  We walked to where our vehicle was and put our things in it for safe keeping, and I remember we even moved it away from the building, in case a great fire were to erupt. We were preparing for the worst and praying for the best. 

As we stood and waited, the fire department began to arrive, many trucks and men were ready to do their job. Hotel guests were standing around ~ waiting as we were.  Then I said to my husband, "There doesn't seem to be many people out here based on the cars that are parked in the parking lot."  As we were discussing this, a few more people came out. Probably forced out by the firemen until an all clear could be announced. As they stood around talking we could hear them say, "It's a false alarm for sure, that's why we didn't come out earlier.  We didn't believe it was a real fire."

I told you this story because after I witnessed to a lady yesterday the story came to my mind.  Not so much the incident itself, but the reactions by the people.  "I didn't believe it was a real fire alarm!" 

I shared the Gospel with this lady, who works on the grounds where we have our mission home in FL.  She is responsible for cleaning the sidewalks, the laundry rooms, and general cleaning around the outside of our buildings.  I met her in our laundry room.  She was on the phone, but quickly hung up and continued to clean up the room.  I told her I appreciated her hard work, many times our laundry is left a complete mess, and now I met the lady who cleaned it all up. 

I thanked her for her excellent service then the Lord opened our meeting up with a few more words of general conversation when I began to share my own personal relationship with God.  I asked her if she knew she would go to heaven when she died or if the Lord Returned!  "Oh My Goodness, nobody can know that! You aren't one of those fanatics, are you?" she asked.  I quickly shared with her that I was not a religious nut, but I was a fanatic when it came to my Saviour.  I told her why.  That He gave His own life for me and all mankind so that we could have a home in heaven without the penalty of our sins and hell. And because of that I believed and repented of my sins, asking Him to be my Saviour.  And He is.  One day, I told her, He is coming again to get His children and I would be one of those.  I wanted her to be one as well! 

She told me that she believed in God, and that she had heard about Jesus returning for years and, "He hasn't come yet".  She would wait on this religious stuff,  since he obviously wasn't coming anytime soon.  Kind of hard to believe she said, "I just don't believe He is coming!"

Thus my fire story.  She doesn't believe He is coming any more than most of the people in that hotel believed the fire alarm was real.  They have heard it so often, they just don't believe.

Folks, may I say, whether You believe it or not, Jesus is coming soon. And when he does we will all be changed.  The saint shall be changed in a twinkling of an eye and the sinner will bow his knee to our Lord and recognize Him for Who He is, but unfortunately, eternally to late.  In 1 Corinthians 15:52 the Bible says ~  "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."  I am so thankful that I know Him as my Saviour, but my heart is sad for those who do not know Him.

Pray with me for this lady that I might be able to reach her for the cause of Christ.  God certainly wants the lost to be saved, and He uses us as His tools to reach them.

I am praying for the lost and that God would give me every opportunity to share the Gospel with them.

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you today. I hope they help you in some way.  Have a blessed day!

LKMilam

Tom & Linda Milam
Missionaries to America
Phil. 216